Lake · Angola
Lake Dilolo
Lake Dilolo lies in the Moxico region in the east of Angola, about 1 097 metres above the sea. It is the largest natural lake in Angola.
Where is Lake Dilolo?
Countries on its shores: Angola.
Largest lake of: Angola.
Middle of the lake: 11.52° S, 22.05° E
The story behind it
Lake Dilolo is not very big, but no natural lake in Angola is bigger. It covers about 18.9 km² and is about 9 km long and up to 3 km wide. A small river called the Dalumbo brings water into the lake, and the Dilolo river carries it away again. The lake lies just outside Cameia National Park. Much of this park is made up of wide plains that are flooded in the rainy season. Its reed beds and grassy swamps are full of water birds. Fishing is important at the lake: in 1981, 300 fishers were counted here. Today some travellers also come to see the lake because it lies so close to the national park.
Find it on the globe
Lake Dilolo is there as a small blue dot with its name, right on the water. From far away the planet is only a blue ball; detail arrives as you zoom in, and this one appears once you are close enough. Open it on the globe.
It sits at its real coordinates, not near them — the same numbers listed in the facts above. Switch off the layer for this kind of place and it disappears again; the buttons for that are down the right-hand edge.
Questions children ask
How big is Lake Dilolo?
Lake Dilolo covers about 18.9 km². It is about 9 km long and up to 3 km wide.
Is Lake Dilolo the largest lake in Angola?
Yes, it is the largest natural lake in Angola. It is small compared with the great lakes of Africa, but no other natural lake in the country is bigger.
What lives near the lake?
Next to the lake lies Cameia National Park, with reed beds and grassy swamps full of water birds. In the lake itself there are fish, and in 1981, 300 fishers worked here.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked against public reference sources before publication. Where sources genuinely disagree, the text says so.
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